Thessaloniki Announces Traffic Restrictions For 28 October Parade

Thessaloniki will introduce traffic restrictions from Thursday, 22 October, through Wednesday, 28 October, for celebrations honouring the city’s patron saint, St Demetrius, and Greece’s national anniversary on 28 October, according to the Thessaloniki Traffic Police Directorate.

The measures include road closures, parking and stopping bans, and diversions for motorists during military rehearsals, religious processions, church services and student and military parades.

Thursday, 22 October: Military parade rehearsal

From 07:30 to 14:00, authorities will close both carriageways of the Thessaloniki–Nea Moudania National Road between the new Thermi overpass, near Prophet Elias Street, and the Rysio overpass for a full rehearsal of the motorised military parade.

Authorities will divert traffic as follows:

From Thessaloniki towards Nea Moudania: Motorists will travel along the Thessaloniki–Nea Moudania National Road, cross the new Thermi overpass, continue via Prophet Elias Street and the Thessaloniki–Nea Michaniona provincial road, pass the Nea Rysio junction and return to the national road via the Rysio overpass.

From Nea Moudania towards Thessaloniki: Motorists will use the Rysio overpass, continue towards Nea Rysio along the Thessaloniki–Nea Michaniona provincial road and Prophet Elias Street, and return to the national road via the new Thermi overpass.

Sunday, 25 October: Religious procession

Authorities will prohibit stopping and parking from 05:00 to 13:30 on the following streets along the procession route for the holy icons of St Demetrius and the Virgin Mary of Chozoviotissa:

• Agiou Dimitriou Street, between Proxenon Street and Platonos Street.
• Eleftheriou Venizelou Street, between Agiou Dimitriou Street and Egnatia Street.
• Egnatia Street, between Eleftheriou Venizelou Street and Agias Sofias Street.
• Agias Sofias Street, between Egnatia Street and Agiou Dimitriou Street.

From 10:30 to 13:30, authorities will also prohibit all vehicle traffic along the procession route:

• Agiou Dimitriou Street, between Eleftheriou Venizelou Street and Platonos Street.
• Eleftheriou Venizelou Street, between Agiou Dimitriou Street and Egnatia Street.
• Egnatia Street, between Eleftheriou Venizelou Street and Agias Sofias Street.
• Agias Sofias Street, between Egnatia Street and Agiou Dimitriou Street.

Monday, 26 October: St Demetrius feast day

From 05:00 to 13:30, authorities will ban stopping and parking on the following streets during the church service at the Church of St Demetrius:

• Agiou Dimitriou Street, between Souris Street and Peloponnisou Street.
• Kassandrou Street, between Agiou Nikolaou Street and Makedonikis Amynis Street.
• Makedonikis Amynis Street, between Kassandrou Street and Agiou Dimitriou Street.
• Selefk ou Street, along its entire length.
• Aristotelous Street, between Agiou Dimitriou Street and Olympou Street.

From 10:30 to 13:30, authorities will close Agiou Dimitriou Street to all vehicles between Lagkada Street and Agiou Nikolaou Street.

Tuesday, 27 October: Student parade

From 10:30 until the student parade concludes, authorities will prohibit vehicle traffic on:

• Tsimiski Street, between YMCA Square and Ioanni Dragoumi Street.
• Pavlou Mela Street, between Lefkos Pyrgos (White Tower) Square and Tsimiski Street.
• All intersecting streets along the affected sections.

Wednesday, 28 October: National anniversary military parade

Authorities will impose extensive traffic restrictions for the military parade, which will begin at 11:00.

Stopping and parking ban from 03:00 until the parade ends

The ban will cover:

• Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
• Georgiou Papandreou Street, between Megalou Alexandrou Avenue and Mitropolitou Ky donion Street.
• 30is Oktovriou Street, along its entire length.
• Pavlou Mela Street, between Lefkos Pyrgos Square and Tsimiski Street.
• G’ Septemvriou Street, between Megalou Alexandrou Avenue and Stratou Avenue.
• Stratigou Napoleontos Zerva Street, along its entire length.
• Ethnikis Amynis Street, between Tsimiski Street and Nikis Avenue.
• Gkyzi Street, along its entire length.

Road closures from 05:00 until the parade ends

Authorities will close the following streets to all vehicles because of the assembly of motorised military units:

• Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
• Georgiou Papandreou Street, between Megalou Alexandrou Avenue and Mitropolitou Kydonion Street.
• 30is Oktovriou Street, along its entire length.

Additional road closures from 07:00

Authorities will gradually close the following roads until the parade concludes:

• M. Botsari, Karaiskaki, Kallidopoulou, 25is Martiou, P. Syndika, Paraskevopoulou, Chatzi and 28is Oktovriou streets, along the sections between Vasilissis Olgas Avenue and Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
• Stratigou Kakavou Street.
• Pavlou Mela Street, between Lefkos Pyrgos Square and Tsimiski Street.
• Soulioti Street, between Kallidopoulou Street and Stratigou Kakavou Street.
• Ethnikis Amynis Street, between Tsimiski Street and Nikis Avenue.

Additional parking restrictions

From 14:00 on Tuesday, 27 October, until the military parade ends on Wednesday, 28 October, authorities will prohibit stopping and parking in the following locations:

• The car park behind the parade’s official viewing stand on Athanasiou Soulioti Street.
• M. Botsari, 25is Martiou, P. Syndika, Paraskevopoulou, Chatzi and 28is Oktovriou streets, along the sections between Vasilissis Olgas Avenue and Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
• Stratigou Kakavou Street.
• Athanasiou Soulioti Street, between Kallidopoulou Street and Stratigou Kakavou Street.
• Kallidopoulou Street, between Delfon Street and Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
• Karaiskaki Street, between Delfon Street and Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
• Michail Psellou Street, along its entire length.
• Ifigeneias Street, between Vasilissis Olgas Avenue and Mitropolitou Grigoriou Kydonion Street.

Authorities will also prohibit stopping and parking on Agias Triados Street, between Megalou Alexandrou Avenue and Vasileos Georgiou Street, from 14:00 on Sunday, 25 October, until 15:00 on Wednesday, 28 October.

The Thessaloniki Traffic Police Directorate warned that authorities may introduce additional traffic interruptions on surrounding roads depending on traffic conditions.

(Source: AMNA)